Final Fantasy: Masquerade
by Peregrine1
Summary: What lies behind the masks we wear?...An original FF story. Vague, huh? Guess you'll have to read it.
1. Default Chapter

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(Author's Note: I don't own Final Fantasy...heck, I don't even have a PS2 yet...poor me. If you like Mega Man X, check out my other fic. I could always use the support. Enough talk, let's do this thing.)

Prologue 

A lone man stood, staring down from a rocky ledge. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt, a padded vest, dark jeans, and boots. On each of his arms was a gauntlet, black but with a metallic shine. His face was covered by a blank black mask. Only a pair of blue eyes were visible. His gaze jumped back and forth, noting different aspects of his target. His inspection complete, he lifted his hand to his ear, pressing something.

"Doc? It's me. How's the feed?" A pause. "This place is nothing. But, Doc, after this job...I want to apply to the Aca-" He stopped, shaking his head at the voice on the other end. "Look, I've got it under-! ...Fine, after. We talk. I'm out." His hand dropped to the side, balled into fists. The man walked down from the ledge, making his way towards his target.

"Heh heh...don' look like you're going to no academy soon. Hey, Wedge, got anything on th' voice ID?" A guard sat at his terminal, watching as cameras tracked their soon-to-be intruder.

Next to him, Wedge was playing the recording back. "Nah, man...the computer's picking up crap. Some sorta...sorta muffler or something. I say we, like, beat the crap outta him, Vicks!" Wedge leaned back in his chair, stretching out his arms. "He's not armed, and we can handle a dumb kid, right, man?"

Vicks shook his head. "No way! That guy's outta our league. Well, yours, anyways." After a quick laugh, he enhanced the picture, zooming in on the intruder's face. "He's wearin' one of those things...only THEY were those damn face things."

Wedge snorted. "You're dreamin', man. No way in the red hells a punk kid like HIM is a Masque!" 

Vicks shrugged, powering up the auto-defenses. "I dunno. Either way, he's target practice."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. No need to waste equipment."

The two guards jumped out of their seats, guns raised. "Who's there!" they shouted, spinning around in circles. They were stopped by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Sitting in Vicks' chair, with his legs stretched across Wedge's, was another masked man. They trained their guns on him, but the weapons were shaking in their hands.

"Pitiful. Turn off the auto-guns. Anyone in the Masquerade can get by them, just like I did. Second, he's not armed because he doesn't need to be. You'd think OmniCorp guards would scan an intruder for a probe system. Like I said, pitiful." He rose to his feet, walking past them. "If he's here, he's after something, and since this is a research facility, it's probably on the computers. I'll head him off there."

Vicks finally managed to speak up as the man reached the door. "W-wait a minute! Stop right there, Masque!"

The man just laughed. "Relax, you moron! OC hired me to take care of this little situation. If I were in on it, you'd be dead by now. Heh. Turn off the auto-guns, but leave the sentries out. We don't want him getting suspicious, do we? Bye, now." With a wave to the confused guards, he disappeared, the door left unopened.

"Hey, Wedge?"

"Yeah, man?"

"I hate this job. Too much freakin' stress."

_____________________________________________________________

The intruder made his way through the facility, either unaware or concerned about the cameras tracking him. Any guard he came across was quickly dispatched with a steel-gloved punch. He reached the doors to the main laboratory without incident. He pulled a keycard he'd taken from a guard, running it through a panel. The reader blinked red, and a curse escaped his mouth. "Techs only, huh? We'll see about that," he whispered.

After a quick scan of the hall, he placed his hands on the lock. As he pushed, his metallic gauntlets began to glow with a green light, and the doors suddenly burst open. He stepped in, doing his best to close the broken doors behind him. 

The main lab was a large room, two rows of tables with half-assembled parts strewn across them. Pipes ran along the walls and ceiling, most of them connected to a large computer terminal that took up an entire wall. Shade stopped to look at some of the parts, taking some of the small ones, as he walked to the main terminal. "Cake job..." he muttered, holding up a piece of machinery to the screen's dim light.

"Ain't it, though?" A knife knocked the part of the intruder's hand then dissolved into nothing. 

Above him, he heard a yawn. "Tsk, tsk, my fellow mercenary. I mean, if I wasn't so bored, you'd be dead right now. Imagine that... Shade, the rising star of the Masquerade, killed for being stupid." Identified, Shade stared up at his attacker. His mask was silver, with a single red streak down one side. His mouth was left uncovered, showing a wide grin. He wore a black leather trench coat with a green bandana on his chest over a black T-shirt and jeans. He leapt down, landing in front of the intruder.

Shade crossed his arms. "Get out of my way. If you're really part of the guild, you can't interfere with a job and you know it."

The man chuckled. A knife formed in his outstretched hand. "Oooh... that's where you're wrong. That's the thing about us, we can be hired on opposite sides, and I'm here on a job. Killing you, to be precise."

Shade shook his head, a deep sigh muffled by his mask. "Whatever. Let's get this over with."

"Fine by me! Wild Card Kaerz, at your service. Well, your funeral, anyway!" That said, he launched the knife at his opponent. It struck his chest, knocking him back. The blade disintegrated on contact. "As I thought, you've got a probe system!" Kaerz applauded. "I'll have to bring down your hit points, then, now won't I?"

"Do you ever shut up?" Shade lunged, throwing a punch at Kaerz's face. As Kaerz blocked, the green light surrounded Shade's fist. Screaming in pain, Kaerz jumped back, throwing two knives as he went. Shade ducked under the first, but the second landed, keeping him back.

"That hurt, dammit! What WAS that?!" Kaerz screamed. "I've never seen-"

"Shut up already." Shade muttered, raising his fists.

"Fine! Actions speak louder than words, right?"

They waited, staring each other down, then both of them charged. 

_____________________________________________________________

"Hey, Wedge, you watchin' dis? These guys 'r better 'n I thought!" Vicks and Wedge were watching the battle in the lab unfold, lounging in their comfortable seats on the other side of the building.

"Yeah, man, I've got, like, 50 gil on the guy with the black mask! Dude...He just smashed a table with his damn hand, man!" Wedge slammed his drink down for effect, getting himself wet in the process.

"You nuts?! Knife guy's wit us! Sides, he musta hit 'im five times with those things! Probes can only take so much 'fore they go quits on ya!"

"You're on! Not like it matters, man...We've got every dude on base just, just waitin' to take care of the leftovers! Got any chips?"

At that moment, Shade was running to catch up with Kaerz, dodging a hail of blades. The chase continued around the room, the occasional hit wearing him down.

"Hey, c'mon! Catch him!" Vicks yelled, sitting at the edge of his seat.

"Hah, only a matter of time now, man. You like, you owe me your paycheck!" Wedge replied.

Meanwhile in the lab, the place was in ruins. Tables were overturned or simply smashed. Parts were lying in broken pieces across the floor. Every window on the outer wall bore small cracks from knife impacts. Traces of blood were beginning to appear as Shade's probes took repeated attacks.

Suddenly, Shade stopped his chase. "This is getting nowhere. Time to quit playing around...," he said. Arms outstretched, a low groan came from Shade's throat.

Kaerz paused, standing on a table with a knife in each hand, panting from near-exhaustion. "Giving up already? You're smarter than I thought! Too bad, though. I hate for all the fun to end..." Kaerz put his hands on his hips, threw his head back and laughed. "Or is that some sort of kung fu crap? Bring it on, man!!!"

Shade couldn't hear him anymore as his moan slowly grew into a scream. His gauntlets began to glow brighter, an aura of energy surrounding them. "SHUT UP!!!!" His eyes started glowing with the same green light. Kaerz stopped in mid-gloat, looking down.

"Huh? What the-"

"Pulse Wave!!!" Shade screamed. As he raised a fist, all of the energy flowed to that hand. Palm open, he thrust his arm forward. With a deafening boom, a crescent of light struck Kaerz head-on. He went flying, crashing to the ground, unconscious. 

"Almost got me..." Shade muttered. As Shade made his way through the mess, he put his hands together and whispered. "ProgramWHITE: Cure1" As a white light spread over his body, he felt his wounds close up. "Now, time to finish the job." He reached into his pocket, taking out a disk. "Hmm. Didn't break it."

Placing the disk into a slot, he began typing commands into the terminal. "There. Got the file, now to-"

"Like, not so fast, man!" A voiced called over the speaker.

"Hey, I wanted to say that, Wedge!" Another yelled.

"Fine, Vicks, you say the rest. What a baby, man..."

"I heard that!!! Well, anyways...You! We've got you surrounded! Yer darn fight brought the blast seal down on that door, so yer stuck! Every guard on base is right outside, too, just waiting to shoot ya as soon as we open it! Give up now and we'll only kick ya a few times!"

Shade only sighed and shook his head. "Idiots. How about this deal? You can all run away or die."

"Yeah, right, man! You've got fancy moves, but you can't, you can't beat us, man!"

"Right, Wedge! You an' what army, ya punk!" Cackling came over the intercom. "Face it, kid, yer toast!"

Shade shrugged, putting the disk in his pocket. He calmly walked over to a table near the window. "No, you are." Shade pulled a pipe free from the wall, causing it to burst. "That's gas." He pulled a metal sphere out of his 

pocket. "And this...this is a time-delay explosive. I'm supposed to blow this place anyway, so it's all part of the job. Tell your men to back off and open the seal."

Frantic yells could be heard from outside. "Hey, man! D, don't get hasty!!! We can, we can work it out, man!"

"Shut up n' open the darn door, Wedge! You wanna get us fried!"

A loud sound came from outside of the room and the doors swung open, revealing an empty hallway. "Good. Now run. You've got two minutes!" Pressing a switch on the bomb, he threw it behind him and started running. 

On the intercom, the two men were in hysterics.

"Man! We'll get you, man! Mark my, mark my...we'll get you!"

"Dammit, Wedge, let's get the hell outta here!!!"

"Hey, Vicks, what about Knife Guy?"

"Screw 'im. We were just gonna off him, save half the money, anyways! And you owe me 50 gil, you hippie!"

"Whatever, let's just RUN, MAN!!!" With a click, the intercom turned off and alarm klaxons screamed throughout the building.

"Son of a..." Kaerz was leaning against a wall, rubbing his head. "At least I got half. San's gonna be pissed..." He shrugged, the smirk coming back to his face. "Least I had fun." Then, he was gone.

_____________________________________________________________

Shade rushed out of the building, no one caring enough to stop him. Once he reached the perimeter gate, the lab blew. A fireball swept up from the middle of the building, climbing several stories. In seconds, the entire facility was ablaze. Putting his hand to his mask, Shade whistled in amazement.

"Mission accomplished, Doc. Returning home. And we really need to talk about-"

"Like, not so fast, man!!!"

"Dammit, Wedge, you did it AGAIN!" A huge crash was heard as the gate was knocked open. Shade turned to stare into the face of a huge machine. It stood twice his height, roughly shaped like a dragon. Inside of it's 'stomach', two guards were sitting inside, working the controls. It's head snapped back and forth, then released a gout of steam.

"Shut up! Like, you're under corporate arrest! Anything you do or say will get you, will get you, like, killed!!!"

Shade took a fighting pose, then yelled. "You dolts! You think I'd come unprepared for your toy mech? ProgramBLACK: Lit1!!"

A bolt of lighting lashed out at the dragon mech, coursing through its circuits. Screams of pain and anger rose from the cockpit.

"Oww!! That freakin' hurt, but you fell into our trap! Wedge, hit the switch for the Lightning Breath!"

"Like, which one?"

"Dammit, the big red one labeled Lightning Breath!!!"

"Not enough power, man!"

Shade couldn't help but laugh. "Looks like your little trick's ruined. Now..." He spread his arms out again, and they began to glow.

"Gonna cut me out of my half, huh?!" Everyone looked up to see a figure land next to Shade. "Nobody messes with Wild Card Kaerz!!! Have a thunder ball!!!"

"No, don't-" Shade yelled, but it was too late. Kaerz reared back, then hurled the yellow ball at them. On contact, jags of lightning struck the mech in a blinding flash.

"Like, that hurt, man! Where's that, that switch?"

"Aww, gimme that!" The dragon's head stopped swaying, turning its gaze to the two mercenaries. It's mouth opened, pointing at them. Then, with a burst of steam, a stream of electricity shot out from its throat, as it began to sway again, slashing them with each wave. Kaerz was knocked out by the blast, his probes unable to take the punishment. Shade fell to his knees, breathing heavily. His gauntlets' light dimmed, then faded.

"Hooo-aaah!!! WE GOT 'EM!!!"

"Like, TOTALLY, MAN!!!"

"Let's finish it!!! Dragomech Destroyer, ONWARD!!!""

"YEAH, MAN!!! 

The mech rose onto its hind legs, the dragon's mouth open again, this time to reveal a gatling gun. Shade stared up at the machine, pulling himself to his feet. "No...I won't lose! I...I..." Shade groaned, his gauntlets glowing bright, then dimming, only to light up again. "I'm...I won't be beaten!!! Pulse Wave!"

He fired the crescent, only to see it harmlessly dissipate on the mech's plated chest. Shade fell again, thoroughly drained. "No..."

"Yer gonna die now, boyo!"

"Like, you're going down, man!"

The gun began to spin, gaining speed.

"5!"

"4, man!"

"3!"

"2, man!!!"

"1!!! Hey, what the-"

Suddenly, a flash of purple struck the mech, knocking onto its haunches. A blur of purple energy rushed forward, leaping onto the dragon's neck. The light faded to reveal a man in silver armor, a sword of the purple energy in his hand. 

Shade watched in shock as the man attacked, slicing downward. A pillar of steam rose from the gash, then the dragon's head fell to the ground, the rest of the mech soon after. The two guards jumped out of the mech, running for dear life.

"We're gonna get ya next time!"

"Like, hurry up, man!"

Shade could only sit in shock as the man turned his gaze towards him. 

"Stay away from OmniCorp. You've been warned."

"Wait, are you-"

"Stay away. For your own good." With a flash of light, the man was gone.

Shade rose to his feet. He turned to wake Kaerz, to find him already gone.

"Doc, did you get all of that. Was that...Doc, was that-?"

For a moment, there was silence as Shade watched the fires still raging behind him.

" Understood. Returning home. But I want answers when I get there. Shade out." Walking out of the facility, Shade pulled off his mask. His black hair, now free, waved in the wind.

"Was that you, Cale?"

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For several years, war raged between the nations of Kalos and Salia. The Kalosian Empire used its superior machinery to conquer its own continent, then quickly set its sites on the East. The Eastern Continent allied itself under the Salian Monarchy, becoming a powerful adversary with its control of magic. Things seemed to be at a stalemate until a man named Dracus sold a new form of a technology to the Empire which utilized the soul's potential as a power source for Kalos's advanced technology. With application after application found, Dracus's small company began to grow to amazing heights as the Kalosian Empire paid huge amounts for a military edge. Even magic, the Salian Coalition's sole advantage, was soon mimicked by the new Spiritech technologies.

Soon it seemed imminent that Salia would fall. Then, miraculously, Dracus himself negotiated a peace treaty with the Kalosian and Salian royal families. He became an international hero and his growing company began to slowly creep into every facet of Kalosian life. Thus came the Age of Spiritech and the birth of OmniCorp, whose power grew to rival, then overwhelm, that of the Emperor, as he was practically forced to institute an elected Ruling Council. Fearing this new power, Salia cut off all trade with Kalos, in fear of losing its own sovereignty.

This climate of economic conquest, led on by OmniCorp's merciless tactics, spurred the birth of corporate espionage as a regular means of business. The demand for mercenaries and assassins grew exponentially, leading to the formation of the Masquerade, a vague alliance of outlaws. Competition for top ranking became rampant, as the highest prices were paid to the top Masques.

Even as things seem to calm across the world, rumors continued to grow about OmniCorp's darker practices. Many Kalosians believe that the Ruling Council has been corrupted, and a resistance is slowly building...

The situation is volatile and one thing becomes increasingly certain: Something will soon come to pass. Something momentous.

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(AN: Well, that was a blast. I just sat down at 8PM and stopped to rub my tired behind at 11. I didn't even check it over that much. I just got the urge to kick this out. Been in my head for a while now, anyway. Hope you guys liked my take on Vicks and Wedge. They may be back if I feel like it...anyway, good night!)

  



	2. Chapter 1: Behind the Masks

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(Author's note: I don't own Final Fantasy...well, I do happen to own one of the Cids, but which one is a deep, dark secret that would put you all in...fine. I don't own any of it.)

Chapter 1: Behind the Masks

Doctor Cidolphus Ke'Lan was busy at work. With a frown on his face, he set up the transfer of funds from the mission. He kept stumbling over the codes, swearing under his breath. A small window on his screen showed a red bar, and his eyes jumped to the display every few seconds, leading to another mistake, causing more loud cursing and another glance. Finally, after a few minutes of frustration, the transfer was complete. Cid rubbed his eyes, yawning to himself as he stretched in his chair. "Where the hell is he-"

"I'm home, Doc!" The mercenary known as Shade walked through the door, pulling off his mask. "That should keep us in parts, TV, and food, in that order..."

A smile tugged at the corner of the older man's face. "Now, you know that's not true...Fixin' everything you break comes first." Jase shrugged, tossing the steel mask to Cid.

"Update my stats. Might as well be the best merc I can, since you won't let me take the academy trials..." He dropped onto their couch, reaching for the remote.

Cid sighed again, sensing a familiar battleground. He turned back to his computer, plugging a cable into the side of the mask. "Jasearan...You see, that's exactly what I'm talking about. You can't control your anger-"

"Doc, not now. I just funded your research, so get off my case." Jase plainly replied, remote in hand and channel-flipping. 

Cid turned, a deep frown on his face. "Research to keep you from losing it! To keep you from..." He trailed off, staring at the floor.

Jase looked behind him, raising his arm. A green glow surrounded his gauntlets, slowly pulsing with his breath. "To find some way to improve the Channelers. I know. But, face it, Cid, I can handle it."

"Not quite yet..." Cid shook his head. "Take those damn things off. It's not right, you know. A boy your age should be allowed to get pissed, have a laugh, bawl his eyes out over some girl..."

Jase sighed as the gauntlets came off. A smirk came to his face as he tossed them into his room. "C'mon, Doc, not the speech!"

Cid joined Jase on the couch, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I mean it, Jase. You got a crap draw in life, and as your dad, I guess that falls on me. Kids shouldn't be knocking over corporations to pay for their medicine."

Jase barely stifled a laugh. "It's not your fault, Doc." A frown came to his face, swiftly hardening to grimace. "OC did this to me, to us! You do the best you can. One day, you'll find a cure."

Cid nodded, running a hand over his bald scalp. "You bet, kid. And when I do, we're getting out of this job, out of Kalos. You'll get a good life, I promise. And maybe I'll start to look my age, eh?" He grunted, rubbing at his temples. "Job's over, go take a damned shower... We'll get a farm with chicken, sheep, chocobos...the whole deal."

"Sure, Doc. And then we'll get a puppy." Jase muttered, chuckling to himself. He sauntered off to his room, tossing bits of clothing behind him.

"You're too damn negative." Cid pulled himself up, half-dragging himself to the computer. "God, I'm getting old already...not even 40, either. Hey, let's get some good news for a change. Now, what was your rank before?"

A voice could be heard, screaming over the shower. "Getting senile?! It was 16! I got ranked the Rising Star, too, after that mission with that moron...got a bonus for saving his worthless-"

"Jase..." Cid said, his voice faint, his face wide in shock.

"I know, Doc. Focus and stay calm-"

"You're 10!! You jumped six spots!!! Come look!!"

Jase dashed into the room, towel hanging on for dear life. "You know what this means?! The big jobs! We're talking in the thousands of gil! And look who I knocked off of the top..."

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"WWHHHHAAAAAT?!!! I fell to 25?! San, you can't be reading that right! Is the connection-" Kirinin Kaerz was screaming into the vidphone, his mask gone, revealing a wild array of purple spikes. The background noise suggested he was at a bar, the cheering in the background almost drowning out his voice.

The girl on the other side turned to look off of the screen, then pouted. 

"You heard me, Keerie. Wild Card failed the mission AND lost to another Masque...Hey, where were you, anyway? You didn't tell me you were working tonight, and then you drop off your mask here and run off..."

"Uh, tell ya later! I'm kinda busy right now, San-"

"And what's this expense report?! I'm getting a request for...15 thousand GIL, agreed percent of property damage costs?! Keerie..." The face of a young girl on the screen was quickly turning into the visage of fury itself. Kirinin's eyes widened in horror, and his hand slowly snaked its way out of view. 

"Well, you see, um, well, you kept begging for that dress, and the pay was in advance, and it seemed like a cake job, so you see... What's that?" A loud banging came from off-screen, shaking the camera. "The feed's breaking up! San?! San, can you hear-" A quick slice with his knife cut the line.

"Hey, you!!! You're gonna pay for that phone cord! And lookie here...according to the screens, your favorite Masque just dropped big time...you owe the house rounds for the night!"

Kirinin's face paled. Before him sat nearly a hundred half-drunk, applauding men and women. "Um...later!" There was a sudden flash of light, then a cloud of smoke filled the bar. Once the fog cleared, Kirinin could be seen bursting out of the doors.

The crowd was silent, a tangible sense of anger slowly building. The bartender knew what that kind of silence meant. He also knew how to add up the cost of broken chairs, cue sticks, and inventory quickly. "Relax, folks! Two free rounds, on the house!!!" The cheering and drinking resumed, and the bartender glared at the door, his eyes aflame.

_____________________________________________________________

"You weren't supposed to go there, boy..." The voice in the shadows was deep, bold. Pacing footsteps rang out with the sound of metal against metal. "You were supposed to let the test go unabated. Why did you interfere? Why did you disobey me?!"

A man in silver armor kneeled, his face bowed. "Master, I...I do not know. I was drawn there by something." A pause, then a deep sigh. "You didn't say that you gave them the dragon mech."

A laugh echoed in the background, but the laugh seemed without humor. "Hmm...muttering on about things which do not concern you...I wonder, is it that you _care_ for the boy?"

The man looked up, rising suddenly. A moment too late, he realized his mistake in doing so. "That...that's impossible, Master. Such things are beyond my abilities."

More laughter, darker this time, less forced. "Ah, I suppose you are right. You _cannot_ feel, can you, boy? Hmm...I guess we'd better give you your treatments a little earlier, to be certain-"

"That is unnecessary." He answered, now standing at attention.

"You dare to interrupt me." It was more of a statement then a question, and its tone was empty, as if the voice were recording a simple fact. "Which reveals that such a step is indeed necessary. You will report to the research facility immediately, is that understood, my boy?"

He stood, silent, his face unreadble.

"I said...is that understood, my young machine?"

"...Yes, master. I shall go." A flash of violet light, and the man was gone. As if sensing his absence, the light returned to the chamber, to reveal an empty room, a cube of metallic walls.

"You will go, my broken little toy. And while you're...occupied, perhaps it is time to set things in motion. Yes..."

_____________________________________________________________

"So, Doc, got any feedback from our employers? They promised us some follow-up work, right?" Jase was once again lounging on the couch, dressed in plain black pants and a cocky grin. 

Cid grunted, turning away from the computer. "Not yet. I guess they're still decrypting whatever it is you got for them. But, before they reply, we need to talk about something."

Jase let his head roll to the side on the chair's arm. "Uh huh...what's up?" The frown on Cid's face barely fazed him. "Oh. I'll explain. Well, you see, when a man gets older, sometimes he cannot find the same reaction to the pictures on the compu-"

Cid spluttered. "Don't play dumb with me! You know damn well what's wrong! Your body rejected another probe culture. That's another month's work down the damned drain!"

"Doc..." Jase groaned. "Can't we talk about this later? You know how that technical stuff bores me."

"Listen, you little punk. Without those probes, if you get hit, YOU GET HIT!!! Unless I figure out what in God's name you're doing to them, we're out of a job. I swear, NO ONE could go through as much destruction as you don't even bother avoiding."

Jase sat up, casting a glare behind him. "Damn it, Doc, there's nothing I could've done about it! It's not my fault they don't work! Relax. You're probably susceptible to heart attacks at your age."

Cid felt a vein in his forehead throb. "Just because I look like a tired old man doesn't mean I couldn't put you over my knee. Maybe this wouldn't be a problem if you didn't redline so often! You know that the Downs don't work, so why do you keep overworking the system?! I got you those S-Tech spells for a reason!"

Slowly, he rose, staring Cid in the eye. "Why, because you like your little toys? Or is it so that you'd have an excuse to lab-rat me guilt free?" The ice behind Jase's tone struck Cid head on. Before his chair hit the ground, he was an inch from Jase's face.

"I'm trying to help you! I'm doing every damn thing I can to save your _life_, you little brat!!! I sacrificed, your mother-"

Jase's eyes flashed green, his face shifting into a mask of anger. "Don't you dare talk about her!"

"She DIED to keep you away from OC! I've lost my research, my home, my WIFE for you!"

The green light flared in his eyes. In the background, things were starting to spark and die, but they were too engaged to notice. Jase sneered, never breaking his gaze. "Well, maybe you wouldn't have this thorn in your side if you didn't make kissy-face with your toy Demon!"

The blow came before either had time to think. Cid struck out, knocking him to the floor with the back of his hand. Instantly, the green light faded, and tears began to fall from his eyes. Cid stared, aghast, at the scene before him.

"Jase...I..." He took a step forward, but Jase was on his feet in a flash, heading for his room.

His voice called out, perfectly calm. "You're right. I don't have control. I'm sorry, Doc." He stepped out, the gauntlets back on his arms. "I should be more careful."

Cid was silent, staring hard into the floor. "I'm going to fix this, kid. I promise I will."

A ring from the computer screen broke the ensuing silence.

_____________________________________________________________

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Doctor Ke'lan:

The mission was a total success. I was certain that Shade would succeed. The information we were after was recovered completely and with it, our cause can begin production of equipment to combat the ENEMY.

Below, we found plans for some sort of weapon. No one knows what it is, and there seems to be no power source. We hope that with your knowledge of ENEMY research that you can tell us what it is, and why it was held in such secrecy.

On a final note, we have another mission for Shade, one that we could not entrust to him until we were certain of his abilities. His latest advancement has us convinced that he will be sufficient. The mission:

Guard Crimson. 

We are certain of his skills, but not of his trustworthiness. He must not be informed of his mission until WE decide to tell him. That is all.

VOICE

A sigh that sounded akin to a growl came from the figure at the terminal. _"_Milady, the message has been sent." The words came out much like the sigh, resounding deep in the throat of the shaded man.

The room was dark. Lying on an ornate couch, the silhouette of a woman put her arms behind her head. "Very good, Te'Kal. Soon we will make our first decisive strike. And not even the Blazing Hells will not stop us."

The growl came again, this time slightly louder. "Milady, I must ask you again to consider letting me-"

"No...Te'Kal. Loyal as you are, you're just not suited for this. This task requires stealth, precision; who better than mercenaries? Besides, you know that I can take care of any...trouble."

"Yes, Milady. Shall I get you anything?"

The silhouette waved a hand in mock disgust, giggling, disturbing the dark mood of the room. "Please, my friend...You don't have to treat me like a princess."

Humor seemed beyond her protector. "Hmm... very well. Sleep well, Lady Kai'La." The figure marched out of the door, sealing it behind him.

The woman strode over to a window, staring out at the metropolis peeking out from behind the hills. "I can feel you, Dracus...Are you trembling yet, or will your arrogance cost you your life? Those who thirst for your blood are coming...and not even the power of Demons will save you."

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(Well. Sorry about the time delay. I've been busy as all hell, what, with my MMX series and this trip I took to UT-Austin. If any of you end up reading this, Hawk says hi! Well, anyhoo...give me reviews! A recent Harris poll shows that I work faster if you do. Guilt is the only motivator of a procrastinator, so make me feel all warm, m'kay?)


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